Chronicle Legion:Volume 2 Chapter 3
Chapter 3 - Coeur de Lion
Part 1
The Suruga tutelary fort was located on a mountainous region formed from two adjacent mountains in a north-south series.
Suruga City lay to the west of these mountains while Shimizu City lay to the east. Currently, Tachibana Masatsugu and two companions were traveling in a plain-looking domestic vehicle, driving from Suruga towards Shimizu.
"So quiet..." Masatsugu muttered from the front passenger seat. He was looking out the window at the streets of Suruga.
It was 9am. Putting aside the obvious early hour, there was a lack of vibrancy. Population was sparse to begin with in this regional city, but there were no pedestrians in the outdoors. Cars were few too.
It was as though all the residents had gone on vacation—
"It's only natural, Onii-sama. Unlike our high school, many schools and businesses are on holiday. After all, you get hungry easily if you run around for no good reason," responded Hatsune from the driver's seat, dressed in her usual Haikara-san getup.
Traffic on the road was very light and Hatsune was driving quite fast. Also, she had formed her tutelary pact at the water shrine yesterday.
"The rations distributed to civilians aren't particularly generous. The tutelary fort has also requisitioned gasoline in the city. There aren't many cars moving about outdoors."
"In other words... The populace is hiding at home, holding back their anxiety and dissatisfaction, is that right?"
The beauty in the back seat concluded in her lovely voice.
This beautiful maiden was dressed neatly in a white blouse and navy-blue skirt with her platinum blonde hair tied in a ponytail with a red ribbon. She was Fujinomiya Shiori, a princess of Imperial Japan.
Today, her striking and pretty face was adorned by a pair of glasses.
Its purpose was for camouflage. It also enhanced her vibes of "wit and intellect" compared to usual.
Furthermore, she was using an Image Disguise noetic technique, preventing those unfamiliar with her from recognizing her as the princess.
Incidentally, Masatsugu was wearing a white long-sleeved t-shirt with black pants.
With a black jacket on top, his attire was similar in color to the school uniform.
"Are you really sure, Princess? Someone as important as you has no need to risk yourself by leaving Suruga to carry out this kind of mission..."
"It is fine, because I am the only one capable of doing it," Shiori replied to Hatsune quite decisively.
"Although Suruga has the genie named Sakuya, it would be no easy task to take that insecure child outside the city. Besides, she still needs to manage the tutelary fort."
"Princess, you mentioned that she has human shyness, right?"
"And frankly speaking, I would like to leave town for a change of pace too."
"Princess, your Machiavellian tendency to ruin inspiring stories on purpose is totally awesome."
"I must thank Rikka-sama for agreeing to my suggestion too."
Masatsugu felt the same way.
If anything were to happen to the princess, responsibility would fall squarely upon Rikka as the castellan of Suruga. In spite of that, she had accepted Shiori's suggestion without the slightest hesitation.
'To think that Your Highness would be adept in noetic techniques, now that is truly living up to the name of Lord Tenryuu's bloodline. There is currently no noetic master in Suruga more accomplished than you, Your Highness. Please lend us your aid.'
After Shiori revealed her own "ability," Rikka immediately gave the above response.
House Akigase's Chevalier princess prioritized expediency over playing it safe.
"Hatsune, our job is to protect the princess. If necessary, it won't be just swords. We may have to summon troops—Legions. Be prepared."
"Of course, Onii-sama!"
The novice Chevalier girl cheerfully answered Masatsugu's reminder.
Hatsune's current position was the princess' personal lady-in-waiting as well as a knight under her direct command.
...In fact, Hatsune had only inherited the Appellation of Kurou Hougan Yoshitsune just yesterday. When she attempted a summoning, only one Legion showed up.
Her power had not fully awakened—She was in a proto-Chevalier state.
She should be able to summon dozens of Legions once she grew accustomed to it. At present, her Chevalier Strength was tentatively "just 1."
Hatsune drove the car along a national highway, speeding through Shimizu City.
Like Suruga City, this region was also isolated like "an island on land."
There was a marked lack of vibrancy. Pedestrian and vehicle traffic was low. Continuing along the national highway, they were going to hit the Restoration Alliance's roadblock eventually.
"By the way, Hatsune, you encountered a boy during the ritual. He was Yoshitsune himself, visiting you in a dream to test your succession to Kurou Hougan Yoshitsune, right?"
"I think so."
Masatsugu was immediately certain of this. Kurou Hougan Yoshitsune was the Appellation taken straight from a general's name. Prior to his amnesia, Masatsugu had returned to the human realm as a Resurrectee, but due to certain reasons, Yoshitsune had not—
Masatsugu instinctively knew this was the truth.
On the other hand, Shiori said, "Perhaps Lord Yoshitsune turned out to be an unexpectedly helpful person."
"Why do you say that? He was so violent to me~"
"Think about it, we know many anecdotes about ancient warriors, including legends whose veracity is hard to confirm... There is a story about Lord Yoshitsune, which involves Ushiwakamaru defeating Benkei at the Gojō Bridge in Kyoto. It is most likely fictional."
"Then he chose to test me at the bridge because—"
"Perhaps it was a joke on his part, since he knew that such a legend was circulating in the later world."
This was not a remote possibility. Masatsugu nodded in agreement.
Even if Yoshitsune was a genius in martial arts, how could he have won an overwhelming victory as a child against the equally rare hero, Musashibō Benkei? In this time and age when dead people could be reborn, anything could happen.
However, the legend of martial valor at Gojō Bridge definitely sounded contrived.
"Of course, it is also possible for truth to be stranger than fiction."
Shiori shrugged and ended this conversation.
The plain domestic car continued to race along smoothly with the three passengers.
Just as they crossed the Okitsu River and were about to leave Shimizu City's urban area, Hatsune stopped the car. The elevation here was relatively high.
...The car had been driving along a national highway that followed the coast of Suruga Bay.
Literally a seaside road, it almost followed the same route as the old highway of Tōkaidō in the Edo period. Steep mountain roads lay ahead while Satsuta Ridge was close by. Proceeding through the post stations of Yuijuku and Kanbarajuku, one would then reach the Fuji River.
On the other side of Fuji River was Fuji City, which was also the town where the Fuji tutelary fort was located.
The ukiyo-e artist Utagawa Hiroshige had also depicted part of this scenery in The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō.
This road through mountainous terrain was actually less than twenty kilometers long and quite a quick drive. However, Hatsune parked the car on the shoulder and the trio disembarked.
"We will choose the nearer side of Fuji City as our destination for now... Fuji River."
Shiori used noesis to project several visual images in the air.
They all showed wide roads in the mountains. Every location was buried under landslide debris, evidently impassable.
Shiori had sent retainer beasts for reconnaissance and used noetic control to playback what they saw.
"The situation is the same for all roads leading out of Suruga City—all outbound roads blockaded by the Restoration Alliance. At Satsuta Ridge, a little up head along our current road, there have been landslides. Rather than natural disasters, they were all caused by Crusades."
Next, Shiori pointed at an image of a highway toll booth.
The toll booth had an inspection checkpoint with many Caucasian British soldiers inside.
"They must have left the highways intact so that they could use them to transport supplies in the future. However, given that there are a number of strict security checkpoints and the fact that they have established naval superiority in Suruga Bay, if one wanted to enter the mountains..."
Shiori smiled sardonically.
"As soon as the Restoration Alliance's retainer beasts pick up the scent of humans, they will attack like ravenous bears."
"Princess, question here. What are the chances of getting attacked?"
"From what I have heard, the probability of encountering a retainer beast in these kinds of situations is roughly the same as monster encounters in games. In every zone, the number of retainer beasts are triple figures minimum."
"...Indeed." Masatsugu looked up in Fuji City's direction. "Three white British wyverns are flying over there."
"Eh, you can see that, Onii-sama? I can't see anything at all."
Hatsune squinted, staring intently in the same direction.
After twenty seconds, she finally gave up and said in surprise, "Come on, I tested 2.0 in visual acuity... Onii-sama, your eyesight is crazy good."
"Really? I thought this was pretty normal."
From Masatsugu's view, there were three white dots flying northeast. On closer examination, the white dots had outlines shaped like wyverns.
Ignoring their conversation, Shiori said confidently, "However, the situation would be completely different for those who are highly adept in noetic control like myself. I will come up with a solution. Hatsune, could you please prepare?"
"Roger that~"
Hatsune did as directed, taking out three slim A3-size boards and putting them on the ground.
The three boards were retainer beast talismans. Shiori touched the talismans as she did before. The retainer beast talismans activated and transformed into "wolves." They were covered in beautiful silver fur and had huge bodies as large as a horse.
Three mid-size retainer beasts—Mibu wolves—had appeared.
According to legend, Hijikata Toshizō had led a pack of these Mibu wolves, fighting across various battlefields in eastern Japan.
"Among all retainer beasts, Mibu wolves have an especially keen sense of smell. They will immediately detect any retainer beasts that approach. If we are unfortunate enough to encounter enemy retainer beasts... I will drive them away using noesis."
The three of them each rode a Mibu wolf.
The wolves began to run. They needed to head east towards the Fuji River by traversing the mountain where there were no roads. Dashing as fast as the wind, the Mibu wolves raced across slopes and mixed forest as though running on flat ground.
Occasionally, they would take a detour, probably due to detecting the scent of British retainer beasts.
Even so, it took the trio roughly two hours to reach their destination. After descending the mountain forest, there was the vast greenery of a tea plantation.
In front of them was also the clear water of the Fuji River.
The Fuji River was not massive in flow. There was plenty of gravel deposited on the shore or sandbanks.
Over in the northeastern sky was an expansive view of a sacred peak, offering the majestic scenery of Mount Fuji's snowy peak.
It looked even bigger and more impressive than the view from Suruga City.
The trio dismounted from the Mibu wolves, walking on their own feet once again.
"...Princess, isn't this inside the Restoration Alliance's sphere of influence already?"
"Indeed. However, they will not demand us to present identification unless we do anything too suspicious. Please behave as calmly as possible."
"Hmm?"
Masatsugu felt intrigued. He sensed powerful noesis coming from the far shore of the Fuji River.
He swept his gaze over the streets of Fuji City, a regional city similar to Suruga. The Fuji tutelary fort, which had been conquered by the British, was more than ten kilometers away in this direction.
"Hatsune, do you know where this weird presence is coming from?"
"Huh? Hmmm... Woah, it's amazing!"
The novice Chevalier looked at the eastern sky and instantly jumped in surprise.
Ordinary people were not very sensitive to noetic waves. After inheriting Kurou Hougan Yoshitsune successfully, Hatsune's senses were gradually augmented. This time, she and Masatsugu both detected the same thing.
Currently, powerful noesis was swirling in the sky over the Fuji tutelary fort.
In the center of that vortex was a gigantic eyeball!
"Is that Morgan le Fay?"
"I would think so. The principal image has been transported to Hakone Checkpoint... What remains at the Fuji tutelary fort is probably her shadow," explained Shiori to Masatsugu.
The Mibu wolves they had been using for locomotion growled fiercely.
They were glaring across the Fuji River, preparing for combat. Their hostility was directed at the barrier that Morgan le Fay had deployed for repelling retainer beasts.
Mid-size or larger retainer beasts were not very affected by the barrier, but it looked like they did not feel comfortable either.
Shiori waved her hand and the three Mibu wolves ran into the mountain.
"Let us prepare immediately"
The trio walked across the tea plantation and roads on foot, heading to the Fuji River's shore.
Soon they arrived at the water's edge. Masatsugu and Hatsune worked efficiently. Using foldable shovels, they dug ten shallow holes.
Digging through the gravel on the riverbank was hard labor, but fortunately, both of them were very confident in their physical strength. The task was over quickly.
Shiori placed a retainer beast talisman into each hole. These thin rectangles were the size of cards used for writing Japanese poems. Once the talismans were placed, the two knights swiftly buried the holes.
"I beseech you to appear. May the gods be with you."
Shiori touched the buried holes and recited an incantation to complete the preparations.
"This will summon retainer beasts that won't lose to the barrier, Princess?"
"I cannot assert with certainty. The success rate is roughly 60%."
Hatsune's gaze read "eh, it's not 100%" and Shiori coughed lightly.
"It cannot be helped. This is a contest of technique to see whether the strength of my noesis can trump Morgan le Fay's influence."
"Okay."
"If the noesis I poured into a talisman is stronger, it will produce a retainer beast that will not lose to the barrier. However, since this is ultimately a barrier deployed by the best spirit of the British forces, it is hard to be optimistic here."
"So that's how it works."
"Naturally, my noetic control is first rate. If I fail here, it means that it cannot be accomplished without a team of expert masters from the Noetic Bureau."
"Taking opportunities to show off your confidence every now and then, Princess, you're so awesome♪"
While listening to the conversation between the two girls, Masatsugu realized something.
In front of them was a wide and beautiful view centered on Japan's number one sacred peak, Mount Fuji, and an army of Kamuys were flying across this view.
A couple hundred Kamuys were advancing in a spherical formation.
An army of British Legions also sortied to intercept the Kamuys.
Outnumbered by two to one by the Kamuys, these Legions were similar in appearance to the Crusade but instead of the usual white coloring, they were vivid crimson all over.
Part 2
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Part 3
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Part 4
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